NEW ENGINES - Victorian boater repowers with Hyundai SeasAll

A Victorian boater is one of the first to choose a Hyundai SeasAll S250 diesel sterndrive to repower his boat and claiming almost a doubling in top speed.

Korea’s Hyundai SeasAll was founded in August 2009 as an independent corporate venture of Hyundai·Kia Motors, producing a range of marine diesel engines. The company entered Australian and NZ marketplace early this year with two engine models, the 170hp 2.2lt D170 and the 250hp 3lt D250 V6, both turbocharged with common rail fuel injection.

Ross Ranyard’s Markline 800 was previously powered by a 165hp 3.6lt six-cylinder diesel sterndrive, installed 26 years ago. But it had come the time to source a new engine.

"I’m a bit sentimental and really love the boat, but the old engine really was a slug. Fully laden, the boat is well over 3000kg and the old engine generally gave the boat 16kts flat out, and 19kts on a good day with a lighter load," says Ross.

"I take the boat away on a lot of extended trips, and really wanted to get more out of the boat, a newer and more powerful engine, but yet reliable was going to be the solution," he said.

Since installing the new Hyundai SeasAll S250 engine coupled with a MerCruiser Bravo III sternleg and dual 22in propellers last April, Ross says he has already accumulated 40 hours of running time and is stunned by the new performance of his boat.

"My top speed fully laden is now 32kts, which is really quite amazing — I never thought it would be that much. Acceleration out of the hole is phenomenal; it’s a totally different boat now," said Ross. "We can do so much more with the boat, we can go to places we’ve never been, plus we can tow tubes, kneeboarders and generally get more enjoyment out of our time on the water."

The cruising speed is now 21kts at 2800rpm, using 25lt/h. On a recent trip away with the Victorian Family Boating Club, Ross and his family covered 212nm and used just 165lt of diesel — much to the surprise of his fellow members.

Sealink Marine in Braeside, Victoria, is one of Australia’s first appointed Hyundai SeasAll dealers and carried out the installation. Director Simon Carter said he is impressed with the Hyundai SeasAll product and range.

"I’m very impressed with the S250 we installed into the Markline 800, particularly with the electronically-controlled variable geometry turbo for increased performance, which enables the engine to deliver such a broad torque curve," said Carter.

"The install was very easy to do. Hyundai have obviously put a lot of thought into installation and service of these engines, and the ease of access to service parts exceptional.

"The fact that Hyundai SeasAll is also happy to see these largely ‘recreational’ engines going into commercial applications says a lot about the quality of the product," he said.

Hyundai SeasAll business development manager, Mark Harrison says he’s pleased to have a high-calibre dealer like Sealink Marine representing Hyundai SeasAll in Victoria.

"Simon has a lot of experience in the industry, and is just the kind of dealer we want to push the brand in this region," said Harrison. "It’s an even better result when the product exceeds the customer’s expectations too."

Photos: Ross Ranyard repowered his Markline 800 with a Hyundai SeasAll S250 marine-diesel and says it nearly doubled his boat’s top speed; The new Hyundai SeasAll S250 power plant allows Ross to get more out of his boating; According to Hyundai SeasAll dealer Simon Carter of Sealink Marine, the S250 install was one of the easiest he’s ever done.